University of Northern Iowa Athletics
University of Northern Iowa
Indiana State
UNI men’s basketball takes on first-place Sycamores on Sunday
1/5/2024 2:43:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Panthers look to extend winning streak in first home game of 2024. Tickets now available for purchase.
UNI men's basketball (7-7 / 1-2 MVC) vs. Indiana State (12-2 / 3-0 MVC)
- Jan. 7, 2023 | 2 p.m. CT
- Cedar Falls, Iowa | McLeod Center (6,650)
- ESPN+ (Eric Braley: Play-by-Play / Matt Schneierman: Analyst)
- Panther Sports Radio Network (J.W. Cox: Play-by-Play / Kevin Boyle: Analyst)
CEDAR FALLS, Iowa --- UNI men's basketball faces a key Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) test as the Panthers welcome the league-leading Indiana State Sycamores to the McLeod Center on Sunday afternoon. Tip-off is scheduled for 2 p.m. CT with live coverage available on ESPN+ and the Panther Sports Radio Network.
Tickets are available for purchase online at UNIpanthers.com/tickets, or by calling the ticket office directly at 319-273-4849. College students, as well as middle and high school students can receive a free ticket by presenting their school ID at the gate.
Indiana State leads the all-time series 35-31 and swept both regular season meetings from the Panthers last year. UNI is 21-12 against the Sycamores at home, and have beaten Indiana State in four of its last five matchups inside the McLeod Center.
Northern Iowa will look to record a milestone win on Sunday, as the Panthers sit just one victory shy of the team's 700th win as a Division I program. UNI is also seven wins shy of earning its 1,400th all-time victory.
Riding a season-best four game winning streak, the Panthers return home for the first time in the new year after a thrilling 64-62 road win at Missouri State on Wednesday, holding off a persistent Bears team for their first conference win of the season. Bowen Born finished the night with a team-high 21 points, five rebounds and two assists, while Jacob Hutson recorded a season-best 19-point game, shooting 8-of-12 from the floor. Tytan Anderson posted eight points and eight rebounds, as Trey Campbell recorded a game-high nine rebounds to complement a six-point scoring effort.
Heise leads the Panthers through 14 games with a 14.4 points per game average, with Born averaging 14.1 points and 12.2 points a game from Anderson, who also leads UNI with 6.6 rebounds per contest and total steals (16). Heise also leads Northern Iowa in total assists (37) and blocks (9).
The three-point shot has come on strong for the Panthers recently, with UNI making at least eight three-pointers in seven of its last eight games, shooting 40.5% from beyond the arc during that stretch.
UNI is 81-12 (.870) under head coach Ben Jacobson when scoring 80+ points, and have won 19 of its last 24 games when scoring 80 or more points.
Anderson enters Wednesday's contest on a 46-game scoring streak with at least one point scored, while Born carries the program's fourth-highest career free throw percentage into the game against the Rockets (85.5%). Landon Wolf seeks to reach 300 career points with his next 11 points, while Huston can reach 400 career points with his next ten points scored
Head coach Ben Jacobson continues his march towards MVC history, sitting three MVC wins shy of tying former Oklahoma State coach Henry P. Iba for the league record for most conference only victories. Jacobson, the second-winningest coach in conference history with 342, has won 184 games in league play.
INDIANA STATE SYCAMORE
The start to the 2023-24 season has been a historic one for the Sycamores, who enter Sunday's game in the midst of their best 14-game start to a season since its legendary run to the national title game in 1978-79. Led by third-year head coach Josh Schertz, this season marks just the sixth time that Indiana State has won at least 11 of its first 14 matchups to begin a season since 1979.
The Sycamores were selected fourth in this year's MVC preseason poll, with center Robbie Avila and guard Julian Larry being named Preseason Second Team All-MVC. Isaiah Swope was voted to the league's preseason third team.
Indiana State features one of the nation's top offenses, leading all of Division I in effective field goal percentage (61.3%), and ranking fifth in both field goal shooting (51.5%) and three-pointers per game (11.3). The Sycamores are also sixth nationally in three-point shooting percentage (40.7%) and ninth in offensive scoring (87.1). Five players average double-digit scoring figures for Indiana State, led by Swope 19.5 points. Ryan Conwell and Avila both have notched 15.5 points per game this year, with Jayson Kent averaging 13.2 points and Larry 10.2 points per contest. Avila and Kent lead Indiana State on the boards, each averaging 6.3 rebounds per game. Larry leads the Syca- mores with 54 total assists (3.8 per game).
